Lewis Perrone

Lewis Perrone, a longtime resident of greater Hartford, died May 22nd in Millersville, MD. He was 98. Born June 17, 1923, to Vincenzo and Adeline Cersosimo Perrone in Hartford, Lew graduated from Bulkeley High in 1941 and enlisted in the Army Air Force after the attack on Pearl Harbor. A ball-turret gunner with the 381st Bomb Group, 533rd Squadron, he flew 32 B-17 missions out of Ridgewell, England, completed his decorated tour in the fall of '44 and stayed on as gunnery-school instructor through war's end. Back stateside, he married Gloria Cannistraro in 1953, drove Connecticut roads as a Sceli Electronics salesman for more than three decades and later worked as a buyer for circuit-board maker Nova Systems of Avon. After retiring, he spent more than 20 years in Vero Beach, FL, some as unofficial office manager of a sign-making firm, all as gourmet cook, dependable pro-bono repairman and physical marvel: He marked his 80th birthday with 80 uninterrupted pushups. The Florida butcher who custom-made Lew's five-alarm Italian sausage groused that his hands burned for three days afterward. Lew moved to Maryland in 2013, participated in World War II Memorial ceremonies, offered oral histories to videographers, addressed schoolkids on his wartime doings. In 2021, he received the Legion of Honor medal, France's highest military decoration. He toasted that achievement, and most every evening meal, with a glass of red wine. Predeceased by wife Gloria in 1979, Lew leaves children Vincent (Anna), Gina Michie (Ward) and Anthony (William Moyle), beloved grandsons Taylor and Tristan Michie, and many extended family members and friends whose lives he touched. A graveside service is scheduled at Fairview Cemetery at noon Thursday, June 2nd, the 78th anniversary of his first combat mission. Memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of the World War II Memorial (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Suite 316, Washington, DC, 20003; www.wwiimemorialfriends.org) or the 381st Bomb Group Memorial Association, 5937 Woodfield Dr., Kernersville, NC, 27284. Online expressions of sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com